One of the things I’ve learned over the years is everyone has leadership development opportunities. You don’t need to be the boss or work in HR. And the right book at the right time can make an incredible difference.

If you’re looking for a leadership read, here’s a great place to start.

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

If you interact with anyone at all, this is the book for you. Dale Carnegie‘s famous “personal relations” training course is over 100 years old and still going strong – all based on this classic title. The 30 principles are timeless – and the accompanying stories are very compelling.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Another timeless classic, Stephen Covey‘s 7 Habits is a true work of thought leadership built on the premise of personal responsibility. But it’s anything but simple. It’s impossible to make excuses when so much of our effectiveness depends on our internal choices.

Good to Great by Jim Collins

If you’re looking for a case study on what great organizations (and great leaders) do that sets them apart from the rest, this is your book. In fact, it’s not just one case study, it’s two or three dozen between feature and comparison companies. The insights and illustrations drawn from the studies are distinct and highly compelling. It’s no wonder Good to Great routinely shows up on executives’ “favorite book” lists.

Switch by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

For those responsible for leading a change, this is the book to check out. It contains about a dozen quality change insights contained in a simple three-part framework. Don’t make change harder than it needs to be!

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Just because you’re surrounded by quality leaders doesn’t mean you have a well functioning team. They need to work together and pull in the same direction. This doesn’t happen by accident. The Five Dysfunctions is one the standards on teamwork.

Strengths-Based Leadership by Tom Rath & Barry Conchie

The value of this book is the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment over 14 million people have taken, which is included in the book. SBL takes the assessment a step further by outlining the leadership implications of an individual’s top five strengths.

The Secret by Ken Blanchard & Mark Miller

The value of this bestselling leadership fable is the SERVE model, which can easily serve as a “leadership 101” framework.

Leading with the Heart by Mike Krzyzewski

I don’t root for Duke basketball, but I absolutely want to “play” on a team like the ones Coach K creates. While the Five Dysfunctions describes a teamwork framework, Leading with the Heart presents a winning philosophy for getting the most out of a group of highly talented individuals.

Leadership & Self-Deception by The Arbinger Institute

This book is a tough read in that it makes you recognize the ways you cheat yourself with self-centered, biased thinking. In the end, it’s incredibly helpful and applicable, but it’s a challenge to get there.

The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership by Steven Sample

Steven Sample’s book stretched some of my presuppositions on what leadership actually is. If you’re looking for a book to challenge your point of view, this one will take you deep – without bogging you down.

Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

Like Sample’s book, Creativity, Inc. is very conceptual but with loads fun anecdotes – such as behind the scenes looks at the creation of many of Pixar’s landmark movies. It presents a case for building a culture specifically designed for creative professionals.

Decisive by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

Another Heath book, this one takes the mundane and frustrating topic of decision-making and offers practical tips within a WRAP framework – and includes many interesting illustrations.

Bonus: Rules of the Red Rubber Ball by Kevin Carroll

This book should have a category all its own. It’s been called the adult version of Oh, the Places You’ll Go! and is more inspirational than anything else. Leadership skills don’t really matter without a passion behind them. This book demonstrates what true passion looks like – and how to find it.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

You don’t have to be special to be a leader and you don’t have to be an expert to help other leaders succeed. You can start right now, right where you are.

Trusted Leadership Advisor is a compilation of some of my previous posts on this topic. In the ebook, I show you how to think about your role as a trusted leadership advisor, what to say and how to get started. Take a look – and if you find it helpful, please share it.

I’d also appreciate your feedback. This is my first ebook and I want to know if the format, structure and ideas prove to be helpful for you. You can leave me a comment below or contact me directly.

There’s so much work to do – let’s work together!

Mark Miller developed the SERVE model and curriculum and collaborated with Ken Blanchard to publish it in their book The Secret. Each member of our small team presented a portion of the model. I’ll summarize it for you here below.

See & Shape the Future

The first thing leaders must do is be able to envision a future that is somehow different than (and an improvement on) what exists today. Think about it: if the status quo is just fine, then leaders are unnecessary. Next, leaders must be able to communicate the vision to those around them and work proactively to shape the course. After all, nothing happens without someone going first.

Engage and Develop Others

In the course of pursuing any vision, leaders must find a way to engage the people around them so that they are “in it” for themselves, not just falling in line. When followers are engaged, they know what’s in it for them and they also know where they fit in the broader scheme of things. There are many visions out there to follow. Giving your followers the chance to grow is one of the best ways to ensure they choose your vision over the rest.

Reinvent Continuously

The “what” of the vision won’t change (if it does, then it’s a new vision), but the how is always subject to change. Change is often painful but it’s necessary. When times are bad, change is easy – in the sense that there is not much choice involved. Either change or suffer the consequences. It’s much more difficult to embrace a change mindset when things are going well. That’s why constant improvement requires leadership to stay disciplined and look for ways to make things better.

Value Results and Relationships

The brilliant thing about this principle is that it makes results and relationships mutually inclusive vs. exclusive. Instead of pursuing one at the expense of the other, a vision is best served when a high value is placed on both. Many leaders tend to lean in one direction over another. That’s okay as long as there are other leaders to help provide balance, but the most successful teams find ways to win together – as a team.

Embody the Values

According to Mark Miller, someone who embodies the values exemplifies the non-negotiable elements that comprise the organization’s culture. When there is a disconnect between what a leader says and what they do, not only is credibility lost, but so is most of the motivation to follow. Trust is the ultimate foundation for any successful relationship, especially the relationship a leader has with followers. It only works when values, words and actions all point in the same direction.

You’ve probably noticed by now that the main focus of the SERVE model is always other people. A self-serving leader just won’t make it very far. Zig Ziglar famously said that you can have anything you want it you will just help enough other people get what they want. Will you join me in looking for new ways to SERVE?

If you’d like to assess your ability to lead according to this SERVE model, take this assessment from the author’s site.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

As the Christmas holiday season arrives, I’d like to share a few book recommendations in case you find some down time and want to expand your leadership thinking.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

No doubt you’ve heard of 7 Habits before. But if you’ve never read it, you’re really missing out on a leadership masterpiece. 7 Habits is my second favorite book of all-time (behind How to Win Friends and Influence People). Not only is it packed with great ideas, it also presents a solid leadership framework that has stood the test of time. Effectiveness begins by being proactive and ends (or rather continues) with sharpening the saw.

Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson & others

Crucial Conversations is essentially a field manual on how to communicate positively and effectively in situations where opinions vary, stakes are high and emotions are strong. Unfortunately, Patterson notes, many people communicate at their worst when it matters most. If you are looking for a communication boost with many personal and professional examples, this book is probably the best place to start. The list of success stories is long – and you may find yourself wanting to take a Crucial Conversations training course after you’ve finished reading.

Decisive by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Many of us are paid to make decisions. But how often do you think about how to make good decisions? What do you do when there’s no clear-cut choice in front of you? In Decisive, the Heath brothers offer many approaches that can be applied to all kinds of decisions, from launching a new business strategy to whether to stay in a relationship. As in the rest of the Heath brothers’ books, Decisive contains many interesting stories and illustrations.

The Heart of Leadership by Mark Miller

Mark Miller is one of my favorite leadership authors and bloggers, but I have to admit I labored through many of the character-centric principles in this leadership fable. Whether it was the admonition that leaders ALWAYS think others first or that they expect the best, I quickly realized that my own leadership character is still very much a work in progress. If you’re looking for a short read that really challenges your guts, this is probably the one to go with.

Go Big by Cory Cotton

Go Big is an inspirational read from an energetic group of young guys called Dude Perfect who make and film trip basketball shots for a living. But it’s practical as well. You may not shoot hoops from moving airplanes, but we all need to “get excited” about what we’re doing as well as learn to “blink later” in times when change comes rapidly. Go Big is definitely the most lighthearted read of this list.

What are you reading over the holidays?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.